January-February 2024 – Page 3 – Pacific Maritime Magazine

Wash. State Ferries Awarded $4.8M to Extend Aging Vessels’ Lifespan

On Nov. 29, U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell (both D-Wash.) announced that Washington State Ferries (WSF) has received $4.8 million in federal funding to refurbish passenger areas on six aging boats in its ferry fleet. WSF is the government agency that operates automobile and passenger ferry service in the Washington as part of the State Department of Transportation. The grant is expected to pay for upgrades on all six of WSF’s Issaquah Class Vessels, originally constructed between 1979 and 1982. Funds came from the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) 2023 ferry programs grants. The Washington State Department of Transportation…

General Dynamics NASSCO Awarded Ship Repair Contract Valued at Up to $754M

San Diego-based ship build and repair facility General Dynamics NASSCO said in October that it has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Navy for the maintenance, modernization and repair of the USS Chung-Hoon and USS James E. Williams. The contract is for an initial $15.6 million, but includes options that if fully exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $753.8 million. The Chung-Hoon is a guided missile destroyer that arrived at Naval Base San Diego on Nov. 9, concluding the ship’s homeport shift from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii to Naval Base San Diego. Chung-Hoon, assigned to U.S. 3rd…

Newsmakers

Port of Grays Harbor Executive Director Gary Nelson Retiring After nearly 24 years on the job, Port of Grays Harbor Executive Director Gary Nelson announced in mid-November that he’ll retire March 31, 2024. Nelson was hired as executive director in April 2000, when the port had only 21 vessel calls handling 85,000 metric tons of cargo with an operating budget of just $5.2 million. More than two decades later, Grays Harbor is projected to have 100 vessel calls and handle more than 3 million metric tons of cargo with an operating budget of nearly $40 million by the end of…

West Coast Offshore Wind Projects in the Works

Although offshore wind projects are common along the East Coast, the West Coast has yet to see any turbines dot the horizon. However, that’s expected to change in the coming years, as the waters have opened up in California (and are on their way in Oregon and Washington). Plans for floating systems are in the works, as well as land-side supporting facilities. In 2021, several federal departments announced a shared goal to deploy 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy in the U.S. by 2030. In 2022, President Biden followed that up with an additional objective: 15 GW of floating…

Offshore Wind’s Risks, Opportunities Explored in Report

Offshore Wind (OSW) is a rapidly growing industry with a heightened policy focus under the Biden administration, which is pushing development of OSW around the country, including several planned West Coast projects. It is also a big issue for the commercial fishing industry and has been making commercial fishermen anxious for a number of reasons. Unanswered questions include how floating wind turbines could affect California’s marine life (with noise from building and running wind farms a consideration), as well as whether electromagnetic fields could harm Pacific Coast salmon and other fish stocks. Now, a new report from a global insurer…

Ocean and Coastal Towing: A Bustling Business

From rescuing vessels in distress to moving millions of tons of cargo, the tugboat, tow boat and barge industry on the West Coast has been bustling with business activity in recent years, a trend that doesn’t appear be easing anytime soon. To prepare for that demand, West Coast towing companies have been investing in new vessels and equipment, many of them built with sustainability in mind, and grow the workforce. Here’s a look at what various coastal ocean and coastal towing companies are doing in the region and beyond. Crowley Crowley Maritime has experienced growth over the last 12 months,…

Pacific Northwest Ports: Investing in Infrastructure

From multimillion-dollar infrastructure projects to facilities dedicated to the development of the region’s workforce, seaports in the Pacific Northwest are making investments to stay competitive. Those investments in the Puget Sound are being supported by local, state and federal funding. The latest announcement came from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration, which announced in early November that four projects in the region were among the recipients in the latest round of Port Infrastructure Development Program grants. That includes $25.3 million for Port of Astoria’s Pier 2 West Rehabilitation Project, $7.7 million toward the Ko’Kwel Wharf Improvements Project in North…

Oregon Begins Derelict Removal Program at Astoria Shipyard

This past summer, a challenging environmental demolition project was put out for bid by Oregon’s Department of State Lands (DSL). The scrapping of an 86-foot derelict hull named Tiffany was to be a demonstration project for the agency’s new program to remove a number of the state’s larger derelict vessels. This required that the entire process meet strict standards to avoid any chance of oil or chemical spills. The contract was won by Global Diving and Salvage of Seattle, with Astoria-based WCT Marine & Construction sub-contracting the floating assets to salvage the vessel and its secure onshore location to recycle…

Cyber Threats to the Maritime Sector

“Quishing” and a summary report. Cyber and physical security concerns are still actively in play in the maritime industry. Ships, seaports and supporting organizations are all exposed to cyber-attacks and threats to their physical security. In this column, we examine a new cyber phenomena, followed by a seminal report sponsored by market data firm Thetius, risk management company CyberOwl and international law firm HFW. Phishing and “Quishing” Due to its increasing digitization and connectivity, the maritime sector has become more vulnerable to cyber threats, including phishing and the newly emerging threat of “quishing.” Phishing is a common method used by…

Hong Kong Conducts Its Annual Maritime Week

Hong Kong Maritime Week, a major annual event of the maritime and port industries in Hong Kong, was held Nov. 19-25, bringing together maritime leaders home and abroad for a week of activities that reinforce Hong Kong’s position as an international maritime center. The event, which showcases the Hong Kong maritime industry, had a theme of “Recharging the Maritime Industry” this year, reflecting what the events organizers say is the resilience and vision that define the city’s maritime sector. In a speech during the Nov. 20 opening ceremony, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said that the “one country, two…